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DMCA Notice Received from Aurora Graphics

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
We have received a DMCA Take Down demand from Aurora Graphics today with which we have complied. It seems that a member here in good standing had placed a classified ad to sell his legally licensed versions of three Aurora Graphics products.

For anyone not aware, DMCA stands for:

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as Digital Rights Management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works and it also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet.

What does this mean to you?

For openers, Signs 101 will no longer permit advertising of any software product for sale from Aurora Graphics.

Secondly, and I will point out for the record that my company is a direct competitor of Aurora Graphics and that my comments reflect, in part, that relationship, anyone considering the purchase of a licensed product from Aurora Graphics should take fair warning that the EULA (End User License Agreement) provided by Aurora Graphics specifically prohibits any right on the part of the licensee to sell and transfer his or her rights in the license.

In short, if you invest in software from Aurora Graphics, that investment is final and you are prohibited from recovering any part of that investment should your plans or needs change.

It is absolutely the right of Aurora Graphics to offer their products under any terms they choose. As a competitor and as an admin here at Signs 101, however, I believe that Aurora Graphics has not made these prohibitions clear in their advertising or their presentation of their products. Further, their licensing restrictions are at variance with the overwhelming number of licenses offered by publishers of graphics software which do provide for the orderly and legal transfer of a licensee's rights to any other party. My Plotter Art™ collections allow such transfers. So do the Vector Art brand collections. So do all Adobe and Corel products, Gerber products, SAi products, and most others.

Finally, I would point out to anyone considering the purchase of a license from Aurora Graphics for any of their products that the license that covers these products is not available at their website and is not prominently displayed or available at any of their dealers and only is available to you after you have purchased a license and received the product. Because the license includes provisions which are both unexpected by most licensees and is out of step with industry norms, it is inherently deceptive. Prospective licensees are well advised to consider this before purchasing any Aurora Graphics licensed product from any Aurora Graphics dealer.
 

Mainframe

New Member
How stupid can Aurora be? Nit picking sign people on a sign forum and the best forum at that. I could have possibly been their customer, but not a chance after that, who needs them, thanks for the heads up!
 

Flame

New Member
We have the same policy. Reason being... people buy a disc, copy the files, and then sell it. Another person buys it, does the same, and sells it.... and on and on and on it goes.
 

Joe Diaz

New Member
We have the same policy. Reason being... people buy a disc, copy the files, and then sell it. Another person buys it, does the same, and sells it.... and on and on and on it goes.

I don't think that is the problem. I think the problem would be not being upfront about that policy before the purchase. Correct me if i'm wrong Fred.
 

Flame

New Member
I don't think that is the problem. I think the problem would be not being upfront about that policy before the purchase. Correct me if i'm wrong Fred.


Now that I WOULD agree is a problem. I believe you have to be upfront with people.
 

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
We have the same policy. Reason being... people buy a disc, copy the files, and then sell it. Another person buys it, does the same, and sells it.... and on and on and on it goes.

Which is why Vector Art, Plotter Art and many other art products are tied to a printed book. Without the book the files are a lot harder to use. You should ask yourself if you consider your licensees to be your valued clients or suspected criminals.

Allowing transfers under acceptable conditions to both you and your licensees is a great selling point. Prohibiting them reflects an attitude of guilty until proven innocent that would prevent me from being your customer.
 

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
I don't think that is the problem. I think the problem would be not being upfront about that policy before the purchase. Correct me if i'm wrong Fred.

Yes that's the main problem Joe but to be honest ... what do you think would happen to them in the marketplace if they were upfront with their policy?
 

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
donderwolk.gif


I think this may be more dumb then having to attach photos on this site!!

haahh jk fred.. Dont ban me!
 

Flame

New Member
Which is why Vector Art, Plotter Art and many other art products are tied to a printed book. Without the book the files are a lot harder to use. You should ask yourself if you consider your licensees to be your valued clients or suspected criminals.

Allowing transfers under acceptable conditions to both you and your licensees is a great selling point. Prohibiting them reflects an attitude of guilty until proven innocent that would prevent me from being your customer.


I trust one person... myself. Even then I have my doubts sometimes. After being ripped off by everybody from friends to close family members, I trust no one...

Not saying I have no trust in people, I just don't have enough to trust someone to be honest while handling a $800 disc they could easily find a way to make a profit off of.
 

Fred Weiss

Merchant Member
I trust one person... myself. Even then I have my doubts sometimes. After being ripped off by everybody from friends to close family members, I trust no one...

Not saying I have no trust in people, I just don't have enough to trust someone to be honest while handling a $800 disc they could easily find a way to make a profit off of.

All you have to do is setup acceptable terms for transfer of license and then take adequate steps to protect your work. Prohibiting transfers does nothing to reduce piracy.
 
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